Self-righting cue chalk holder



June 6, 1967 R. w. MILLER 3,323,793

INVENTOR @PHAEL W MILLEL United States Patent ice 3,323,798 SELF-RIGHTING CUE CHALK HOLDER Raphael W. Miller, 1406 W. Franklin St., Jackson, Mich. 49203 Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,318 4 Claims. (Cl. 27318) The invention pertains to a chalk holder and particularly relates to a holder for billiard cue chalk which is self-righting and holds the chalk in an upright position. Billiard cue chalk is applied to the tips of billiard cues to increase the friction between the cue tip and the ball being struck thereby. Cue chalk is manufactured in a standard block form having a paper covering on the four sides and the bottom, the upper side of the chalk being exposed and provided with an indentation to receive the cue tip. During the course of play on a billiard or pocket billiard table, the chalk is usually laid on the table rail or, occasionally, the chalk will be mounted within a holder or pocket to which a string is often attached to prevent misplacing of the chalk.

During use of the cue chalk a considerable amount of chalk dust accumulates on the exposed surface and in the depression of the chalk block. Thus, if the chalk block is placed on the table rail on one of the block sides or the exposed side, the chalk dust will fall to the table rail and become a nuisance to the players as well as presenting an unsightly appearance. Also, chalk dust which infiltrates the fabric of the rails and table playing surface acts as an abrasive which deteriorates and discolors the fabric.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cue chalk holder which is self-righting, whereby the chalk will always be maintained in an upright position preventing chalk dust falling and accumulating on the chalk holder supporting surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a selfrighting chalk holder which will hold the chalk in an upright position regardless of the position of the holder when it is placed on a supporting surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cue chalk holder having a recess for accommodating a chalk block wherein means are provided for ejecting the used block to permit replacement of the chalk.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a self-righting cue chalk holder having a recess for receiving a standard billiard cue chalk block wherein the chalk block will be frictionally maintained within the holder.

These and other objects of the invention arising from the details and the relationships of the components of an embodiment thereof will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chalk holder in accord with the invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the chalk holder of the invention,

FIG. 3 is an elevational, diametrical, sectional view of a chalk holder in accord with the invention as taken along section III-III of FIG. 4,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the chalk holder, and

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the chalk holder in accord with the invention.

The basic component of the chalk holder in accord with the invention comprises a bulbous body member which is preferably formed of a resilient, synthetic, plastic material by a molding operation. The exterior surface of the body member 10 is of a bulbous form of a somewhat spherical configuration. However, the particular configuration of the outer surface of the body member is not to be limited to a spherical form or any particular configuration. The outer surface of the body member 3,323,798 Patented June 6, 1967 must be of such a form that placing of the body member upon a supporting surface permits the body member to right itself under the influence of gravity, as will be later apparent. Thus, it is to be appreciated that the outer surface of the body member in accord with the invention will be of a bulbous configuration and the surface representation illustrated is only one configuration which the bulbous body member form may take.

A planar base surface 12 is defined on the body member 10 and constitutes the surface on which the holder rests to maintain the chalk block in the upright position.

A substantially planar top surface 14 is defined on the body member 10 in spaced parallel relation to the base surface 12. As will be apparent from the drawing, the top surface 14 is located on the body member 10 on the opposite side thereof with respect to the base surface. The top surface 14 is defined at ends 16 by the line of intersection with the body member surface and is laterally defined by a pair of spaced projections 18 defined on the body member 10 and extending above the top surface 14. The uppermost terminating edges 20 of the projections 18 are rounded and blend with the configuration of the body member.

A chalk block receiving recess 22 is defined in the body member 10 intersecting the top surface 14 and forming a square opening 24 with the top surface. As apparent from FIGS. 1 and 4, the projections 18 are disposed adjacent opposite sides of the opening 24. The recess 22 includes a longitudinal, vertical axis, as represented in FIG. 3 at 26, concentrically related to the body member 10 and concentrically intersecting the base surface 12. Standard billiard cue chalk blocks have a transverse square dimension of Vs". Accordingly, it is preferred that the transverse dimension of the sides of the recess 22 be slightly less than As whereby the resilient nature of the body member will permit the chalk block 28 to be inserted into the recess, in that the body member will slightly expand and thereby frictionally and resiliently maintain the chalk block within the recess. The recess bottom surface 30 is so spaced from the top surface 14 that the upper exposed surface 32 of the chalk block will be substantially aligned with the top surface 14. The upper exposed side of the chalk block includes a depression 34 for receiving the billiard cue tip.

The self-righting of the chalk holder results from the influence of an annular weight 36 molded within the body member 10 adjacent the base surface 12 and concentric with the axis 26. The weight 36 is of a form similar to a washer and may be made of steel or other high density material.

Ejection of the chalk block 28 from the recess 22 is accomplished by means of a push rod, not shown, which may be inserted through a chalk ejector receiving hole 38 defined in the body member 10 intersecting the base surface 12 and the bottom surface 30 of the recess. The hole 38 is concentrically related to the axis 26 and is circumscribed by the weight 36, as will be apparent from FIG. 3. When the chalk block 28 has been substantially depleted, a pencil or other similar implement constituting a push rod may be inserted through the hole 38 against the bottom of the chalk block to push the chalk block from the recess 22.

The mass of the weight 36 is sufiicient to automatically right the body member 10 so that it will always rest on the base surface 12, regardless of the orientation of the base surface to the supporting surface when the chalk holder is laid thereon. Should the user lay the chalk holder on a table rail or other supporting surface so that the exposed surface 32 faces downwardly, the rounded configuration of the projection edges 20 will cause the holder to roll along the edges 20 and over on the bulbous body member surface until the body member rests on the base surface 12. Of course, usually the user will either lay the holder on the base surface 12 or substantially thereon, whereby only a relatively small self-righting movement takes place to maintain the surface 32 of the chalk block facing upwardly. The self-righting movement of the chalk holder minimizes the accumulation of chalk dust on the table rail or holder supporting surface, and as the chalk depression 34 increases in depth into the recess 22 during the use of the chalk, the effectiveness of the holder in retaining the chalk dust increases.

, It will be appreciated that it is within the scope and spirit of the invention to form a body member of other than'a resilient material or use other means than those disclosed for retaining the chalk blockwithin the body member recess, and it is the intention that the invention be defined only by the following claims.

I claim:-

1. A self-righting chalk holder comprising, in combination, a bulbous body member molded of a resilient material, a base surface defined on said body member, a top surface defined on said body member spaced from and substantially parallel to said base surface, a chalk block receiving recess defined in said body member, said recess intersecting said top surface and defining an opening therewith having opposed sides, a pair of projections defined in said body member adjacent said top surface and extending thereabove, a projection being located adjacent each of said opposed opening sides, a rounded terminating edge defined on each of said projections blending into the configuration of said bulbous body member, said recess being of a transverse dimension slightly less than the transverse dimension of a standard billard cue chalk block, a chalk block ejector receiving hole defined in said body member intersecting said recess and said base surface, and

an annular weight Within said body member disposed adjacent said base surface.

2. A self-righting chalk holder comprising, in combina-' tion, a bulbous body member, a base surface defined on said body member, a chalk receiving recess defined in said body member forming an opening in said body member on the opposite side thereof with respect to said base surface, a pair of spaced projections defined on said body member adjacent said recess and extending thereabove, a rounded terminating edge defined on each of said projections blending into the configuration of said body member and extending outwardly from the configuration of said body member and outwardly from said opening to define a convex body surface means which prevents said body member from resting upon a supporting surface with said opening disposed toward the supporting surface, and a weight mounted in said body member adjacent said base surface.

3. In a self-righting chalk holder as in claim 2, a chalk ejector receiving hole defined in said body member intersecting said base surface and said recess.

4. In a self-righting chalk holder as in claim 3, wherein said weight is of an annular configuration circumscribing said chalk ejector receiving hole.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 124,371 3/ 1872 Morris 273 -20 563,403 7/ 1896 Noyes 27318 574,501 1/1897 Tasinari 273-48 3,126,669 3/1964 Gausewitz 46155 X FOREIGN PATENTS 769,698 6/1934 France.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, F. BARRY SHAY, L. I.

BOVASSO, Assistant Examiners. 

2. A SELF-RIGHTING CHALK HOLDER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BULBOUS BODY MEMBER, A BASE SURFACE DEFINED ON SAID BODY MEMBER, A CHALK RECEIVING RECESS DEFINED IN SAID BODY MEMBER FORMING AN OPENING IN SAID BODY MEMBER ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO SAID BASE SURFACE, A PAIR OF SPACED PROJECTIONS DEFINED ON SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT SAID RECESS AND EXTENDING THEREABOVE, A ROUNDED TERMINATING EDGE DEFINED ON EACH OF SAID PROJECTIONS BLENDING INTO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID BODY MEMBER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID BODY MEMBER AND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID OPENING TO 